The Census of Marine Life: A New Scientific Baseline for Policy

The Census of Marine Life, a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans will be released in October 2010. This unprecedented effort involved over 2500 scientists from 80 countries and spanned all realms of the ocean, from coast to abyss, from the North Pole to the shores of Antarctica. The new baseline of marine biodiversity information created by the Census aids the practical work of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), discovers and tracks ocean biodiversity, and supports marine environmental planning. In this side event, we will present the global findings of the Census, and hear two examples of how the Census information can be used to support the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity by 1) making data accessible through the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) and 2) aiding the application of CBD criteria for Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs).